As the summit opened, at least a fifth of G20 heads were not in New Delhi. The leaders of Russia and China opted not to come, ensuring no tough face-to-face conversations with their American and European counterparts over multiple disputes, most acutely the war in Ukraine. Spain’s president couldn’t make it due to COVID-19, and Mexico’s president decided to miss it, too. The African Union has been granted permanent member status in the Group of 20 top world economies, adding momentum to his drive to give a greater voice to the Global South as host of this year’s annual summit. Will this really help Africa to transform ?